Come 2026, it’s expected that, for the first time since 2000, the Chattanooga Lookouts will play ball at a new stadium, this one in the city’s South Broad District. That begs the question: What happens to Hawk Hill, where the current stadium is now?
On Wednesday, city officials, as reported by the Chattanooga Times Free Press, said they are seeking interest from developers locally and nationally, starting early this year, to build on the 14-acre tract following the Lookouts’ move.
According to a preliminary rendering revealed last summer from the downtown redevelopment group River City Co., Hawk Hill could house 650 new residential units and 1,200 parking spaces as well as restaurants, retail shops, offices and green space.
The thought of more housing, especially expensive units that would be expected in a downtown neighborhood like Hawk Hill, is a prospect many Chattanoogans oppose, typically on the grounds that such an endeavor would only benefit rich out-of-town developers.
On the surface, this is an alluring narrative. Like in virtually every other place in America, rents in the Chattanooga area have precipitously increased over the past decade, further burdening households, especially those whose incomes have remained stagnant.